Page 71 of Catch
“Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking under the weight of emotion I still couldn’t fully understand.
I lifted her into my arms, and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her through the house to my room. Laying her gently on the bed, I noticed her trembling, not just with need, but with anticipation.
I undressed quickly, and together we peeled off her clothes until nothing separated us. Climbing over her, I paused, pressing my forehead to hers.
“There’s fear in your eyes,” I said softly, brushing my thumb along her cheek. “But there’s no reason to be scared. You’re always safe with me.”
As those words lingered in the air, I pushed into her, slow and deliberate, wanting to convey everything I couldn’t yet say. We stayed still, the connection between us deeper than the physical. Her breaths became mine, and mine became hers, as our eyes locked in a silent conversation.
And then, little by little, the fear in her gaze gave way to something else—trust, safety, and love.
I moved, but it wasn’t hurried. It wasn’t frantic. It was a rhythm of understanding and a need to reassure her. Her fingers dug into my back, holding on to me, making me feel like I was doing something right.
“You feel so perfect,” I murmured against her neck, trailing kisses along her throat. My hips began to move a little faster and her back arched beneath me.
Her legs wrapped tighter around me, pulling me deeper, and her moans grew louder with every thrust. I watched her face, the way her lips parted and her eyes fluttered shut, completely lost in the moment.
“Look at me,” I said, my voice rough with need. Her eyes opened, locking onto mine, and the connection between us was electric. I leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss that was both tender and ravenous, as though I could pour everything I felt for her into that single moment.
My pace quickened, each thrust more urgent than the last, and her cries of pleasure spurred me on. Her hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, and her body moved in perfect sync with mine.
“Tell me you’re mine,” I growled, needing just as much reassurance as she did.
“I’m yours,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
Then she tensed beneath me, reaching her peak. The sight of her unraveling pushed me over the edge, and I followed her, collapsing into her arms as waves of pleasure crashed over us.
We stayed tangled together, our breathing slowing as the aftershocks faded. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, holding her close as I whispered, “You’ll always be safe with me, Loxley. Always.”
After a few minutes, we both started to relax, and we fell asleep to the comfort of knowing how much we both needed the promises we made that night.
Unfortunately, when I woke up the next morning, everything I thought I knew was over, and the reality of what I had done hit me hard. I broke my own rules, I fell for the girl I promised to keep safe, and in the end…she ran.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
LOXLEY
I’m leaving now, though it’s breaking my heart,
Running away, so you won’t fall apart.
If I stayed, I’d burn you down,
Create more ashes all around.
This isn’t what I want, but it’s what you need,
Me loving you enough to leave.
Chapter Forty
MILES
When I wokeup and didn’t feel her next to me, panic immediately set in. Somehow, I knew she was gone. I jumped out of bed, my heart hammering in my chest as I searched the house. But everything was gone. If not for the pink vacuum she’d left behind and the endless bottles of coffee creamer in my fridge, it’d be easy to think I had imagined her ever being there.
I swallowed hard, the silence choking me, but then I spotted the guitar leaning against the coffee table with a pile of scattered papers. They were her lyrics, her notes, and I had been careful not to read them because she said they were private. But leaving them there was intentional, so I sat down and grabbed the first page.
The words burned into my chest and the realization finally sank in…. She ran. I didn’t bother with the rest of the notes, they were everything she had written over the past couple of weeks and I knew reading them would be reliving our story that I didn’t want to end.
